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Apache Kylin vs OpenMetadata

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Apache Kylin and OpenMetadata — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Apache Kylin vs OpenMetadata: at a glance

FeatureApache KylinOpenMetadata
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score2.55.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesolap, apache project, gluten, release hygienedata-catalog, lineage, connectors, data-quality
Last editorial update11d ago5h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Apache Kylin?

Kylin keeps tagging releases, 5.0.5 included, without saying what changed.

Apache Kylin tagged 5.0.5 on 12 October, three months after 5.0.4, and like its predecessor it carries only the Maven release plugin's commit message. The last release that documented its contents was 5.0.2 in April 2025, covering internal-table caching, partition-aware file merging and Gluten jar loading order. The 5.0 line itself dates from September 2024.

Read the full Apache Kylin trajectory →

What is OpenMetadata?

OpenMetadata 2.0.8 widens Hex, Sigma and BigQuery coverage while 2.1 waits in release candidates.

OpenMetadata is still in 2.0.x maintenance mode, shipping a release every one to two weeks. 2.0.8 on November 13 is the broadest yet: Hex and Sigma ingestion now build data models and column lineage, BigQuery date-sharded tables can be grouped into one logical table, Power BI and Snowflake ingestion stop leaving stale or runaway jobs, and MCP authentication and access controls were tightened. The 2.1.0 line sits at rc2, whose only published change is a tag-resolution fix.

Read the full OpenMetadata trajectory →

Apache Kylin vs OpenMetadata: editorial side-by-side

A
Apache Kylin
ANALYTICS
2.5

Kylin keeps tagging releases, 5.0.5 included, without saying what changed.

◆ Current state

Apache Kylin tagged 5.0.5 on 12 October, three months after 5.0.4, and like its predecessor it carries only the Maven release plugin's commit message. The last release that documented its contents was 5.0.2 in April 2025, covering internal-table caching, partition-aware file merging and Gluten jar loading order. The 5.0 line itself dates from September 2024.

◆ Where it's heading

The tag cadence has picked up (July, then October) while the documentation has stopped entirely, so the 5.0.x line is being maintained but not explained. Anyone tracking Kylin has to read the commit history rather than the release feed.

◆ Prediction

Another bare 5.0.x tag is the likeliest next entry; nothing in the feed points to a 5.1 or 6.0.

O
OpenMetadata
ANALYTICS
5.0

OpenMetadata 2.0.8 widens Hex, Sigma and BigQuery coverage while 2.1 waits in release candidates.

◆ Current state

OpenMetadata is still in 2.0.x maintenance mode, shipping a release every one to two weeks. 2.0.8 on November 13 is the broadest yet: Hex and Sigma ingestion now build data models and column lineage, BigQuery date-sharded tables can be grouped into one logical table, Power BI and Snowflake ingestion stop leaving stale or runaway jobs, and MCP authentication and access controls were tightened. The 2.1.0 line sits at rc2, whose only published change is a tag-resolution fix.

◆ Where it's heading

Each 2.0.x release repairs connectors and lineage that 2.0 left incomplete, and the fixes increasingly touch accuracy (correct table identity, lineage that ends at the right model) rather than crashes. MCP keeps appearing in the security sections, which suggests OpenMetadata expects AI tools to read the catalog and is locking that path down before 2.1.

◆ Prediction

A 2.1.0 final is the next visible step, since two release candidates are out; the entries do not yet say what features 2.1 adds beyond the fixes backported to 2.0.x.

Alternatives to Apache Kylin and OpenMetadata

Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Apache Kylin or OpenMetadata.

See all Apache Kylin alternatives → · See all OpenMetadata alternatives →

Recent activity from Apache Kylin and OpenMetadata

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 22h agoOpenMetadata2.0.8: Hex and Sigma lineage, BigQuery shard grouping, MCP auth
  2. 1d agoOpenMetadata2.1.0 rc2: fix for tags removed when resolving tag tasks
  3. 14d agoOpenMetadata2.1.0 rc1 appears, with notes covering only a UI fix
  4. 17d agoOpenMetadata2.0.7: Pub/Sub, SQL Server and Unity Catalog connector fixes
  5. 24d agoOpenMetadata2.0.6: ingestion accuracy, safer upgrades, multi-pod fixes
  6. 1mo agoApache KylinKylin 5.0.5 tagged without release notes
  7. 1mo agoOpenMetadata2.0.5 restores metadata lost to 2.0 ingestion regressions
  8. 4mo agoApache Kylin5.0.4 tagged with no release notes
  9. 1y agoApache Kylin5.0.3 tagged with no release notes
  10. 1y agoApache KylinInternal table caching, partition file merging, Gluten fixes
  11. 2y agoApache KylinApache Kylin 5.0.0 ⚡
  12. 2y agoApache KylinStreaming function fix

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Apache Kylin and OpenMetadata?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. OpenMetadata is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Apache Kylin better than OpenMetadata?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. OpenMetadata is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Apache Kylin?

Top Apache Kylin alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Apache Kylin alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/apache-kylin for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to OpenMetadata?

Top OpenMetadata alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "OpenMetadata alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/openmetadata for the full list with editorial commentary on each.